Biography

Ashleigh Katherine Gardner emerged from humble beginnings to become one of the most formidable all-rounders in women's cricket. A proud Muruwari woman through her mother's heritage, Gardner attended Picnic Point High School while nurturing her cricketing dreams at the Revesby Workers Cricket Club.


Gardner's journey to the top began with spectacular performances at the youth level. In January 2015, at just 17 years old, she topped the run tally at Cricket Australia's Under-18 Championships, leading New South Wales to the title and earning the Player of the Championship award. Her dominance continued at the Imparja Cup 2015, where she won Player of the Tournament honors and the Lord Taverners Indigenous Player of the Year award. These breakthrough performances earned her selection to Australia's development squad, the Shooting Stars, and caught the attention of national selectors.


Following her standout 2014-15 Imparja Cup performances, Gardner made her Women's National Cricket League debut for New South Wales in the 2015-16 season. That same summer, she joined the Sydney Sixers for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League season, making her WBBL debut on 12 December 2015. At 17, she received her first state contract while simultaneously completing her Higher School Certificate, balancing education with elite sport in a manner that would define her grounded approach to success.


Gardner's international career commenced in early 2017 during Australia's home series against New Zealand. She made her WT20I debut in February 2017 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, though the occasion was marked by a golden duck after being run out. Undeterred, she claimed her first international wicket in the following game, dismissing Amy Satterthwaite.


Just weeks later, while touring New Zealand with the Australian squad for the Rose Bowl series, Gardner made her Women's One Day International debut in March 2017 at Bay Oval, where she struck the winning runs. In June 2017, Gardner etched her name in history by becoming the first Indigenous Australian woman to appear in a cricket World Cup. Though Australia was eliminated in the semi-finals, Gardner impressed with eight wickets from eight matches, announcing herself on the global stage.


Gardner's Test debut arrived during the 2019 Women's Ashes at the County Ground, Taunton, in July 2019. She claimed her maiden Test wicket in the same match, dismissing Katherine Brunt. Her maiden ODI and T20I half-centuries came a year later in quick succession, both against Pakistan in October 2018, cementing her status as a genuine all-rounder capable of contributing with both bat and ball. Gardner recorded her maiden Test half-century at Carrara Stadium during the 2020-21 multi-format series against India, scoring 51 runs in a drawn match. The following summer, she managed another half-century at Manuka Oval in the only Test of the 2021-22 Women's Ashes, which also ended in a draw, establishing herself as a reliable performer in the longest format.


On 8 February 2020, during a Tri-Nation Series match against India at the Junction Oval, Gardner recorded her highest T20I score of 93 runs from 57 balls, despite Australia suffering a seven-wicket loss. Gardner also played a pivotal role in Australia's triumph at the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup on home soil. In the tournament's final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 86,174 spectators, the largest-ever crowd for a women's sporting event in Australia, Gardner took the winning catch to clinch Australia's second consecutive world championship.
During the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, Gardner played a match-defining innings against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve, smashing 48 not out from just 18 balls while also taking 3/15 with the ball. Her all-round contribution was instrumental in Australia's 141-run victory. She finished the tournament with ten wickets at an average of 19, helping Australia claim another world championship title in an unbeaten campaign.


At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Gardner was instrumental in Australia's gold medal triumph. In the gold medal match against India at Edgbaston, she scored 25 from 15 deliveries before taking 3/16 from three overs with the ball, including wickets in successive deliveries, helping Australia clinch victory by nine runs.


The 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa proved to be Gardner's finest hour on the global stage. She dominated the tournament with both bat and ball, amassing 110 runs at an average of 36.66 and claiming 10 wickets. Her best performance with the ball came against New Zealand in the tournament opener, where she collected career-best figures of 5/12. For her outstanding all-round efforts throughout the tournament, Gardner was named Player of the Tournament, also winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Tournament that year.


Gardner's crowning achievement came during the 2025 Women's Ashes series. On 17 January 2025, in the third ODI, she brought up her maiden international century. At the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, Gardner showcased her maturity and class. She struck an unbeaten 104 from just 73 balls against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, helping Australia recover from a precarious position in the run chase.


Gardner's domestic career has been deeply intertwined with the Sydney Sixers since the inaugural WBBL season in 2015-16. In WBBL02 during the 2016-17 season, she emerged as the competition's leading run-scorer with 414 runs and was named Young Gun of the tournament.
In February 2023, during the inaugural Women's Premier League auction, Gardner was bought by Gujarat Giants. In February 2025, Gardner was appointed captain of Gujarat Giants for WPL 2025, replacing her Australian teammate Beth Mooney. Under her leadership, the Giants made significant progress, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time after finishing in the bottom position in the first two seasons.


Gardner has also competed in overseas T20 leagues, representing the Trent Rockets in The Hundred in the UK, where she served as captain in 2025. Domestically in Australia, Gardner has played for New South Wales in the Women's National Cricket League since 2015-16, winning championships in 2016-17 and 2018-19.


Gardner holds several notable records and achievements in women's cricket. She is the only woman to score her first runs with a six in all three formats of international cricket. Ashleigh Gardner stands as one of the most accomplished all-rounders in women's cricket.